Advertising device.



No. 894,610. PATENTED JULY 28, 1908.

- 0. M. DE FOREST.

ADVERTISING DEVICE.

" APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19, 1908.

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fied form of my invention.

CHARLES M. DE FOREST, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ADVERTISJIING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 28, 1908.

Application filed February 19, 1908. Serial No. 416,685.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, OnAELEs M. DE Fon- EST, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, county and State of New York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Advertising-Signs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in advertising signs, andlparticularly such as are mounted to rotate, or have other movement, for the purpose of attracting attention.

The invention particularly contemplates a sign having elements which are caused to change their relative arrangement upon movement of the sign support or background portion of the sign so as to vary the significance of the idea conveyed by the sign.

The preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which a Figure 1 in full lines shows the sign in initial position, certain other positions being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 2 shows a modi- Fig. 3 shows a further modification with the addition of features hereafter to be described. Fig. 4 is a sectional view upon the line 44 Fig. 3.

In the embodiment of my invention, herein illustrated, in the form shown in Fig. 1, the device consists of a movable sign-board or other support 1, having symbols 2 pivoted thereto in such a manner, or so constructed or weighted, that they will be maintained in upright position in all positions of movement of the sign su port.

The symbo s shown in Fig. 1 consist ofthe letters, indicated by the reference numeral 2,

as shown, and s elling the terms stops and spots. T e sign-board or support in the form here described is pivoted at 3 and any desired form of operating mechanism, such as inions or pulley connections may be provided for rotation thereof. As will be seen from an inspection of the rotated positions of the board, indicated in dotted outlines (Fig. 1), the letters com osing the signmatter proper maintain at al times their upright positlons. This may be accomplished by weighting the lower ends of the letters, or pivoting them above their centers of gravity or by other mechanical means.

As the. sign as a whole rotates, it will be noticed that the separate letterscontinually change their relative position, and when the .idea indicated by said symbols.

board is rotated through 90, the letters will have assumed a vertical line position and will still spell the same terms. Upon further rotation of the sign the relative positions of the letters will be reversed, and those which previously spelled the second term spots will now spell the. first term stops. It is to be understood, however, that my invention is not confined to a construction in which the terms are reversed upon movement of the sign maintaining the same significance but the symbols of each term may, upon such rotation, present other and different terms from those originally indicated.

In Fig. 2 the letters or symbols 4 are mounted in vertical line upon spindles or pivots 5 within the supporting frame 6, which in turn is mounted for rotation in a vertical plane upon the spindles or pivots 7. The symbols or letters in this case, as in the first, may be weighted or pivoted above their centers of gravity to maintain them at all times in upright position. In this case, upon rotation of the support through 180, the symbols will assume the reverse relative ar rangement as before described.

In the second modification of my inven tion, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 1, the signboard or support proper consists of a disk 8, upon which, and preferably upon one diameter of which, the symbols 9 corresponding to those shown in the previous figures, are pivoted and constructed to maintain their upright position-in all positions of the rotation of the board. In this form of the invention, furthermore, and in addition to the movable symbols 9, a stationary symbol 10 is provided at the pivotal center of the support 8, which, in conjunction with the pivoted symbols 9, serves to complete the terms spelled or the In order that the significance of the terms indicated by the symbols may be still further altered by movement or rotation of the supporting disk or board, a stationary arc-shaped member 11 is provided at one side of the pivotal center of the support which serves to conceal one or more of the symbols upon that end of the support passing there beneath. In the instance here illustrated, the symbol S passes beneath the member 11 thereby, in conjunction with the changed position of the symbols due to revolution of the support, changing the word draws to Wards. It is to be understood, however, that in this modification movable support, a plurality of symbols also the support may be constructed in the form of a board or frame similar to that shown in Fig. 1.

While in the construction here illustrated the symbols in all cases consist of letters and the significant terms are words spelled thereby, it is to be understood that the invention contemplates the employment of other symbols, such as numbers, or otherwise, which, by change' of relative arrangement upon movement or rotation of the sign support, will indicate by their difierent combination other and different ideas.

The structure embodying my invention may be varied in detail and relative arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it being understood that the invention contemplates broadly an embodiment in which the relative arrangement of the symbols may be changed in any desired manner by movement of their support to vary the significance of the idea conveyed by the symbols.

What I claim is:

1. A sign or display device, comprising a movable support, a plurality of symbols mounted thereon and of such character as to convey by their relative arrangement a certain significance, connections between the symbols and support so constructed and operated that the relative arrangement of the symbols is varied simultaneously with movement of the support so as to vary the significance of the idea conveyed by said symbols.

2. A sign or display device, comprising a movably mounted thereon and of such character as to convey by their relative arrangement a certain significance, connections between the symbols and support so arranged and operated that the relative arrangement ofthe symbols is varied by movement of the support so as to vary the significance of the idea conveyed by said symbols.

3. A sign or display device, comprising a supporting member pivoted for rotation, a plurality of symbols pivotally mounted thereon and provided with means to main- -tain them at all times in upright position,

said symbols being so mounted that the relative arrangement will be reversed upon rotation of the support to alter the significance of the idea conveyed by said symbols.

4. In an advertising sign or display device, a supporting member pivoted for rotation in its own plane, a plurality of symbols pivoted thereto in given order and provided with means to maintain them in upright position in all positions of rotation of the sup port, said symbols being so mounted that the rotation of the support will alter the relative positions of the symbols to vary the idea conveyed thereby.

5. A sign or display device, comprising a movable frame or support, a plurality of symbols movably mounted in given relative arrangement thereon, and a stationary symbol which forms with said movable symbols a given significant term or terms in all positions of movement of the movable symbols with relation thereto.

6. A sign or advertising device, comprising a movable frame or support, a plurality of symbols movably mounted thereon whereby, upon movement of the support, the relative arrangement of the symbols is simultaneously changed, and a fixed member designed to conceal certain of said symbols when moved to a position adjacent thereto.

7. A sign or advertising device, comprising a rotatably mounted support, a plurality of relatively arranged symbols pivotally mounted thereon and provided with means to maintain them in upright position in all positions of rotation of said support, and a fixed member designed to conceal certain of said symbols when moved to a position adj acent thereto.

8. A sign or advertising device, comprising a rotatable disk, a plurality of symbols pivotally mounted in given relative arrangement thereon and provided with means to maintain them in upright position in all positions of rotation of said disk, and a stationary arc-shaped member constructed and arranged to conceal certain of said symbols during a portion of their movement of rotation.

CHARLES M. DE FOREST. Witnesses CHAS. A. PEARD, RALPH C. POWELL. 

